Even Dethroned, Federer Wins Praise for Long Streak

King of the courts, Roger Federer was de-thoned earlier today when Robin Soderling, a.k.a. Mr. Upset defeated the champ in the quarterfinals of the French Open. The win is a massive one for Soderling. For Federer it not only ends his appearance in the tournament, it also marks the end of a streak of 23 consecutive appearances in Grand Slam semifinals. While Soderling fans are jumping for joy at the win for their man, sports bloggers are still praising Federer for the feat.

Thanks, Roger, says Chris Chase at Yahoo Sports's tennis blog, Busted Raquet. "Instead of lamenting the demise of Roger Federer's semifinal streak, let's celebrate it," he says. "We've been witnesses to the greatest sustained run of tennis in the history of the sport.

Puts Amazing Feat in Perspective, writes Jon Wertheim at Sports Illustrated's Inside Tennis blog. He takes the moment to appreciate Federer's run. "If there's anything good about it, it's that Federer's streak -- which
I always thought was terrifically underrated -- might finally get put
in some perspective. ... Look at everything that could go wrong -- one bad day at the office,
different weather conditions, jet lag, mono -- all around the world
over the course of six years. That brand of consistency is pretty
remarkable."

Loss Shows Federer's Strength, writes Jonathan Overland at BBC's Sport blog. "After reaching the semi-finals or better in his last 23 Grand Slam championships, this was Federer's earliest defeat at a major since the French Open of 2004. I hope this sequence is never forgotten - it will almost certainly
never be repeated - because it's the ultimate statistical record of
Federer's dominance, fitness and ability to peak at the right time."

News reports are focusing on the Germanwings pilot's possible depression, following a familiar script in the wake of mass killings. But the evidence shows violence is extremely rare among the mentally ill.